Sooner or Later, God'll Cut You Down!

"You can run on for a long time, run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down"~ Johnny Cash

It's a lesson that we all need to learn. Hopefully you can learn this one by watching others. But for me, the Lord has repeatedly retaught me this throughout my life (I hope it sinks in this time!). But what is the lesson?

Running on for a long time? Well, to me it means trying to go about life and do things my way, instead of the Lords way. How easy it is to be prideful and attempt to follow ones own path without yielding to the promptings of God. I look back on my life however, and see that the Lord will let me go off on whatever I want to, because He respects my agency. After a time (sooner or later) He cuts me down, or I go through a very humbling experience or trial. The beauty of it is that after the dust begins to settle, I come to see that God's cutting me down has allowed me to see things as they really are (to a point), which allows me to learn and grow. His cutting me down is in reality Him helping me come to a point of humility where I have the choice to let go of pride. If I do let go, then great blessings begin to flow into my life.


It may be difficult in the humbling situation because of the uncertainty of the future. But God has a pretty good track record as far as I'm concerned. A few examples? I have a big one for you! I ran on for a really long time, ten years in fact. Then, God cut me down (my poor choices are what lead to it, but God nudged enough to awake my soul) and I was as low as low can get. As a result, I came back to church and every aspect of my life has improved for the better. It was really difficult and it took quite a bit of time to get back on the right path. The blessings didn't come to me alone though. I was able to help my sister and parents back to activity as well. Then, I was able to help a friend of mine back to the church, and now he's on a mission sharing the good news as well! My life will forever be changed for the better because God loved me enough to cut me down.

The better way to go however, is to find humility before humility finds us. The Book of Mormon teaches this very plainly in Alma 32:16 "...blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God...without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know..." We can humble ourselves, and in turn save ourselves from the pain that can come from compelled humility.

Thank you kindly, Mr. Cash, for reminding me of the blessings that can flow from God cutting us down. I am trying to be a little more humble each day by looking to the example of our Savior.
 

Car Rides and Good Vibes

No, I did not get along well with my parents growing up. I was a punk. Plain and simple. I "knew" better. They were out of touch. They couldn't possibly understand what I was going through. I was wrong. Yes Mom, I know you want to hear it again: I was wrong (I'll tell you in person when I see you in a year ;) This enlightened train of thought all started in the winter of 2007 with a couple three hundred miles and some alone time with my momma (yes, a couple three).

My parents love to be with their grand kids. Only problem is, they live 300 miles away from them. This led to an almost weekly excursion from the wintry warmth of St. George Utah to the frigid frost of Herriman, near Salt Lake City. Our car rides were usually a marathon of Simon and Garfunkel/Beatles albums to help pass the time. Amidst the Funk, my Mother found some way to really pry me open and get me to start talking to her for the first time in my life. I found myself talking about everything. Over time, I spilled my guts about the mistakes of my past. Huge burdens were lifted off my shoulders as I asked forgiveness for the torment I put Mom through in my earlier life.

These conversations with my Mom sparked something in me. I wanted to talk and get things off my chest. I wanted to give up all the stuff I had bottled up inside. The discussions with my mom left me wanting for something more. I still felt a little empty. That's when I finally decided to put prayer to the test. I started to get on my knees and talk to Heavenly Father, and really talk. I told Him everything (which at the time seemed ridiculous, because He knew it all already). I prayed “with all the energy of heart” (Moroni 7:48). I felt that emptiness replaced with the love of God more and more. I expressed the shame, guilt, sorrow, remorse, and heartache I felt because of my past. Prayer strengthened my faith, which led to repentance. I was finally able to feel the redeeming power of the Atonement.  Over time those very same feelings have been replaced with peace, happiness, and resolve to do better. I am forever grateful for the healing principle of prayer. To learn more about how Heavenly Father feels about prayer, click HERE.